Help me find the right curriculum!

[Megicce]

Okay, here's a tall order for the hive. I'm trying to help a friend who is starting homeschooling next year with her K'er. Their ultimate goal is to get him into a Christian private school when their financial circumstances change, but in the mean time, they are homeschooling. She is not very confident in herself as a homeschooler and is also expecting baby #2 in August. I'm trying to help her find a curriculum that includes all of these characteristics (or as many as possible):

 

* Christian perspective

* preferably classically-oriented

* very easy to implement, well laid out, low prep - holds her hand a lot

* flexible schedules, but definitely the schedule figured out for her

* includes hands-on activities for her squirrelly kinesthetic learner

* lends itself well to an easy transition back into private school at a later date

 

She did the quiz about different curriculum approaches in Cathy Duffy's 101 Picks and ended up with preferences as follows: #1 Classical, #2 Umbrella, #3 Charlotte Mason, and #4 Traditional (2, 3, and 4 all very close).

 

Any ideas of something that would be a good fit for her?

[bethben]

Saxon math- scripted which works for a "brain challenged" mother with a newborn, a phonics program, and a handwriting program (I like handwriting without tears). Then just get picture books on different subjects like science and history and read those. I would have her just stick to those basics because she can feel more successful and not be too overwhelmed with a new baby while learning how to homeschool. If she feels like it, she can always add in stuff 1/2 way through the year.

 

Beth

[xixstar]

Off the top of my head I would pick:

- Right Start Math

- AAR.

- HWOT

 

Since math and reading are my two primary concerns in K, that's about as far as I'd worry. Something like Sonlight looks like it could flesh things out more too but I found their schedules overwhelming, but a good possibility -- to be fair, I haven't given them full consideration/review because they were never an option for us. But I'm still new at all this and the classical path too. Those are mostly based on - hands-on activities, fully scripted and scheduled to make life easier.

[lea_lpz]

MFW K. I think it would fit the bill and is flexible as it is 166 days of curriculum and can be done in about 2 hours (for us anyway). It's full enough it covers everything you should cover but not so long that you can't add to it if you want. It's for lots of hands on learning and multisensory learning for Lang and math. It is also very affordable as it utilizes the library for much of the material goes.

[Peaceful Isle]

Okay, here is what I would do :), and will do for my two year old when he is big enough to do school like his siblings !

 

math - BJU math k is awesome. Very colorful, simple to reach, and my ds 7 loved it when he was in k. Look at the sample pages on BJU website.

 

Phonics / reading- abeka letters and sounds k and readers

 

handwriting : HWOT

[freeindeed]

I think MFW K would be a good fit.

[Incognito]

What about a K package from Veritas Press or Memoria Press?

[IceFairy]

Memoria Press fits the bill, but its dry with ALOT of writing....too much in my opinion.

 

Veritas Press Phonics Museum is fabulous. I cannot praise it enough. It covers handwriting and a bit of picture study as well. Adding Elemental Science Exploring Science (in the classical style)a solid math, like Saxon of Lifepac (which we are using), and a Childrens Bible and she is covered and it all ALOT of handholding.

[Tanikit]

Is the child meant to be in K or is it the year before K? They could also try www.abcjesuslovesme.com for a free 5 year old curriculum - it is however not K - it is supposed to be for older pre-Ker's who will be nearly 6 by the time they enter K.

 

Otherwise like others suggested maybe MFW K or just the 3R's in some form.

[Michelle My Bell]

Memoria Press (modified) She could use her own Math & Language Arts. I would just have her buy the Teachers Guide, not the whole package to used for everything else.

• I prefer Christian Light Math 1st grade or Essential Math
  
• For handwriting I prefer Pentime
  
• For reading I like Explode the Code with one of the following (Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, Phonics Pathways)
  

[MommyPillow]

We've been using Easy Classical for K4 and K5. http://easyclassical...Curriculum.html. The daily lesson plans for the whole year are only $35. The selling point for me was that we already had half of the books listed for curriculum. The other we found at the library or used on amazon and homeschool books sales.

 

We easily substituted Ordinary Parent's Guide for their reading program as well as using our own reading list.

 

https://docs.google....uthkey=CN_P5pEK

 

The one gap here might be the hands on learning. The art projects and math manipulatives help, but we add in "dance breaks", games from "Unplugged Play" and time outside for our wiggly two.

[Courtney_Ostaff]

Calvert?

[Juliegmom]

Anothe vote for MFW! Gentle, but solid, Christian, hands-on and scheduled out for you (but plenty flexible) and fun!